Restaurant riddled with shell casings, bullet fragments, jury told

About two dozen shell casings and bullet fragments were found inside a restaurant that was the scene of a triple homicide on New Year's Day 2009, a Calgary police detective testified Wednesday.

Nathan Zuccherato, 24, and Michael Roberto, 27 are each on trial for first-degree murder in the deaths of Sanjeev Mann, 22, Aaron Bendle, 21, and Keni Su'a, 43 at the Bolsa Vietnamese restaurant in southeast Calgary.

Using video and photos, Det. Jim Hands, the lead investigator for the forensic crime scenes unit, led the jury in Calgary Court of Queen's Bench through a description of what was found at the crime scene.

He testified thatbullet fragments and shell casings were found in thetables, seats, and walls of the restaurant. Some fragments even traveled through the walls into the barber shop next door.

Mann, a known gang member, and Bendle, who also had gang ties, were killed when two masked gunman entered the restaurant and opened fire. A witness testified Tuesday that the shooterswere dressed like "ninjas".

The Crown believes Mann was the intended target of the shootings. Su'a, a construction worker, was an innocent bystanderwho tried to escape but was gunned down in the parking lot.

A video played to the jury Wednesday morning started with an exterior shot of Macleod Plaza. As the camera pans through the parking lot, Su'a's body is seen covered with a yellow tarp.

When the camera moves inside, two more bodies are seen on the floor of the restaurant, where food remains on the tables and a television is playing in the background.

A rivalry between two gangs - Fresh Off the Boat (FOB) and the FOB Killers (FK) - is believed to be behind more than 20 homicides in Calgary dating back to 2002.

In the days following the 2009 murders, police vowed to step up their work against gangs in Calgary. Officials have since credited that renewed focus with reducing the murder rate by almost 50 per cent the following year.

The trial is expected to continue for several weeks.